Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9635 by Mr Tom McCabe on 10 August 2004, whether it now has information on how many detoxification beds for alcohol misusers are available in each NHS board area.

Rhona Brankin: The table below details the total number of beds in residential facilities which provide a detoxification service for people with alcohol problems, according to information provided by drug and alcohol action teams. As can be seen, the majority of these services are for alcohol and drug misuse and provide other services in addition to detoxification. It should be noted that people with drugs and alcohol problems frequently use services outwith their area but these are the number of beds located within each board area.

  

NHS Board
Service Name
Service Type
Service Remit
No of Beds


Argyll and Clyde
Red Towers
Short-term detox; Rehab; Respite
Drugs and Alcohol
23


Ayrshire and Arran
In-patient detox
Detoxification
Drugs and Alcohol
6


Borders
Castle Craig
Detox/Rehab
Drugs and Alcohol
104


Huntlyburn House
Detoxification
Drugs and Alcohol
2


Total
106


Dumfries and Galloway
No residential detoxification services reported.


Fife
No residential detoxification services reported.


Forth Valley
No residential detoxification services reported.


Grampian
Alexander Clinic
Detox/Rehab
Drugs and Alcohol
11


Greater Glasgow
No.1 Project
Detox/Rehab
Drugs and Alcohol
6


Orchards
Detoxification
Drugs and Alcohol
2


Phoenix House
Detox/Rehab
Drugs and Alcohol 
39


Scarrel Road (Aberlour)
Detox/Rehab
Drugs and Alcohol
6


Total
53


Highland
Ruthven Ward, New Craigs
Detoxification
Drugs and Alcohol
6


Lanarkshire
No residential detoxification services reported.


Lothian
Alcohol Problem Service
Detoxification
Alcohol
12


Brenda House
Detox/Rehab
Drugs and Alcohol
6


Total
18


Orkney
No residential detoxification services reported.


Shetland
No residential detoxification services reported.


Tayside
Alcohol Problem Service
Detoxification
Alcohol 
12


Western Isles
Acute Psychiatric Unit
Detoxification
Drugs and Alcohol
6

Civil Service Bill

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government on plans for a Civil Service Bill.

Mr Tom McCabe: The civil service is a reserved matter. We have been consulted in detail by the UK Government over its commitment to consult on a draft Civil Service Bill which would put the current arrangements for the civil service on a statutory footing.

  A consultation paper on whether to proceed with a bill and on draft legislative proposals is being published by the UK Government today, and copies are being placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34433).

  The civil service in Scotland is directly accountable to Scottish ministers for its actions, the direction in which it works, and delivering the priorities which are set for it. As the consultation paper makes clear, the draft bill would maintain this position and in particular the flexibility and responsiveness with which the civil service is managed in Scotland. It would not interfere with our responsibilities for pay, grading and management, nor would it inhibit the different ways of working which we have been developing to meet the needs of devolved government.

  The draft legislative proposals include provision for Scottish ministers to be consulted on the appointment of the First Civil Service Commissioner and involved in the appointment of a Commissioner to take a particular interest in Scotland; for the Civil Service Commission’s annual report to be presented to the First Minister and laid before the Scottish Parliament, and for an annual report to be made to the Scottish Parliament on special advisers.

Dentistry

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the number of dentists (FTE) was per 100,000 head of population in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has commissioned work to publish the Scottish figures for data contained in the WHO Europe report: Health for All .

  This will be available in due course and will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Dentistry

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the number of dentists (FTE) was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has commissioned work to publish the Scottish figures for data contained in the WHO Europe report: Health for All .

  This will be available in due course and will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Education

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10738 by Peter Peacock on 29 September 2004, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school classes have 30 or more pupils, broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: The information requested, which is available for Primary and S1/S2 Mathematics and English classes is set out in the tables below. The class size maximum for P1 - P3 is 30 and for P4 – P7 and S1/S2 Maths and English it is 33. The composite class size maximum is 25.

  Primary Class Sizes, September 2003

  

 
All Classes
% of All Classes Greater Than or Equal to 30
Greater Than or Equal to 30
% of all P1 - P3 Classes at or Below 30
% of all P4 – P7 Classes at or Below 33
%of all Composite Classes at or Below 25


Aberdeen City
559
11%
61
99%
100%
100%


Aberdeenshire
900
7%
61
100%
100%
99%


Angus
385
14%
55
95%
99%
97%


Argyll and Bute
348
5%
19
100%
100%
100%


Clackmannanshire
164
25%
41
94%
100%
100%


Dumfries and Galloway
515
8%
39
100%
100%
99%


Dundee City
417
24%
99
96%
99%
98%


East Ayrshire
405
19%
76
99%
100%
99%


East Dunbartonshire
385
19%
74
99%
99%
98%


East Lothian
328
13%
43
100%
100%
100%


East Renfrewshire
320
25%
81
95%
100%
92%


Edinburgh, City of
1092
19%
204
99%
100%
100%


Eilean Siar
155
1%
1
100%
100%
100%


Falkirk
470
27%
128
96%
100%
100%


Fife
1208
10%
116
99%
100%
99%


Glasgow City
1738
13%
234
99%
100%
99%


Highland
858
6%
51
99%
100%
100%


Inverclyde
283
13%
36
99%
100%
98%


Midlothian
287
10%
29
100%
100%
100%


Moray
341
9%
32
98%
99%
97%


North Ayrshire
461
20%
92
97%
100%
99%


North Lanarkshire
1162
14%
157
99%
100%
99%


Orkney Islands
87
5%
4
100%
100%
100%


Perth and Kinross
453
13%
61
95%
99%
97%


Renfrewshire
562
18%
102
100%
100%
100%


Scottish Borders
396
6%
24
98%
98%
97%


Shetland Islands
117
1%
1
100%
100%
100%


South Ayrshire
355
19%
68
98%
100%
100%


South Lanarkshire
1105
18%
200
99%
100%
100%


Stirling
298
12%
35
100%
100%
100%


West Dunbartonshire
320
14%
45
98%
100%
96%


West Lothian
603
19%
115
99%
100%
99%



  Secondary Class Sizes, September 2003

  

 
S1 Maths
S2 Maths


Greater Than or Equal to 30
All Classes
% of All Classes Greater Than or Equal to 30
% of S1 Maths Classes at or Below 33
Greater Than or Equal to 30
All Classes
% of All Classes Greater Than or Equal to 30
% of S2 Maths Classes at or Below 33


Aberdeen City
17
86
20%
100%
8
90
9%
100%


Aberdeenshire
6
95
6%
100%
25
98
26%
100%


Angus
17
54
31%
100%
20
52
38%
100%


Argyll and Bute
4
47
9%
100%
11
45
24%
100%


Clackmannanshire
3
31
10%
100%
6
24
25%
100%


Dumfries and Galloway
16
72
22%
100%
21
77
27%
97%


Dundee City
15
70
21%
100%
7
75
9%
100%


East Ayrshire
14
61
23%
100%
16
62
26%
100%


East Dunbartonshire
37
56
66%
100%
31
57
54%
100%


East Lothian
4
45
9%
100%
8
46
17%
100%


East Renfrewshire
31
49
63%
100%
31
48
65%
100%


Edinburgh, City of
31
157
20%
99%
38
156
24%
99%


Eilean Siar
 
23
0%
100%
 
23
0%
100%


Falkirk
30
64
47%
97%
35
64
55%
100%


Fife
55
162
34%
100%
66
161
41%
99%


Glasgow City
78
224
35%
100%
83
217
38%
100%


Highland
22
118
19%
99%
30
115
26%
100%


Inverclyde
15
40
38%
100%
17
42
40%
100%


Midlothian
6
48
13%
100%
8
50
16%
100%


Moray
1
50
2%
100%
8
46
17%
100%


North Ayrshire
15
73
21%
97%
21
72
29%
99%


North Lanarkshire
29
167
17%
100%
32
170
19%
100%


Orkney Islands
 
14
0%
100%
1
16
6%
100%


Perth and Kinross
17
58
29%
100%
27
56
48%
100%


Renfrewshire
27
86
31%
100%
40
90
44%
100%


Scottish Borders
2
58
3%
100%
10
57
18%
100%


Shetland Islands
 
17
0%
100%
1
18
6%
100%


South Ayrshire
9
55
16%
100%
12
56
21%
100%


South Lanarkshire
59
143
41%
99%
64
142
45%
100%


Stirling
9
42
21%
100%
13
43
30%
100%


West Dunbartonshire
2
51
4%
100%
18
51
35%
100%


West Lothian
24
83
29%
100%
28
82
34%
100%



  Secondary Class Sizes, September 2003

  

 
S1 English
S2 English


Greater Than or Equal to 30
All Classes
% of All Classes Greater Than or Equal to 30
% of S1 English Classes at or Below 33
Greater Than or Equal to 30
All Classes
% of All Classes Greater Than or Equal to 30
% of S2 English Classes at or Below 33


Aberdeen City
15
84
18%
100%
21
85
25%
100%


Aberdeenshire
7
96
7%
100%
11
98
11%
100%


Angus
11
54
20%
100%
9
52
17%
100%


Argyll and Bute
8
42
19%
100%
3
43
7%
100%


Clackmannanshire
 
31
0%
100%
1
24
4%
100%


Dumfries and Galloway
4
71
6%
100%
5
77
6%
100%


Dundee City
15
68
22%
100%
7
75
9%
100%


East Ayrshire
13
59
22%
100%
8
60
13%
100%


East Dunbartonshire
37
56
66%
100%
31
56
55%
100%


East Lothian
6
45
13%
100%
5
44
11%
100%


East Renfrewshire
30
49
61%
100%
31
49
63%
100%


Edinburgh, City of
21
155
14%
100%
26
157
17%
100%


Eilean Siar
 
22
0%
100%
 
23
0%
100%


Falkirk
28
64
44%
100%
28
65
43%
100%


Fife
35
160
22%
100%
55
160
34%
100%


Glasgow City
69
218
32%
100%
80
213
38%
100%


Highland
4
116
3%
100%
10
116
9%
100%


Inverclyde
8
40
20%
100%
13
40
33%
100%


Midlothian
4
46
9%
100%
2
50
4%
100%


Moray
 
50
0%
100%
6
46
13%
100%


North Ayrshire
19
71
27%
100%
14
68
21%
100%


North Lanarkshire
28
165
17%
100%
18
167
11%
100%


Orkney Islands
 
14
0%
100%
 
15
0%
100%


Perth and Kinross
10
57
18%
100%
28
57
49%
100%


Renfrewshire
29
77
38%
100%
36
83
43%
100%


Scottish Borders
 
57
0%
100%
5
54
9%
100%


Shetland Islands
 
16
0%
100%
1
17
6%
100%


South Ayrshire
23
49
47%
100%
5
54
9%
100%


South Lanarkshire
52
143
36%
100%
47
139
34%
100%


Stirling
9
42
21%
100%
9
43
21%
100%


West Dunbartonshire
6
47
13%
100%
7
50
14%
100%


West Lothian
19
82
23%
100%
18
79
23%
100%



  The data was collected as part of the September 2003 school census. In Shetland there were also three S1/S2 maths composite classes and three S1/S2 English composite classes of which 67% (two classes) and 33% (one class) respectively were at or below 25. The census also reports one S1/S2 maths composite class in Perth and Kinross of 32 pupils. Class related data for other secondary stages or subjects was not collected and is not held centrally.

Environment

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was made aware that approximately 81,000 cubic metres of soil at the site of the Hunterston A nuclear power station had been polluted by radioactive contamination; if so, when it was made aware and by whom; whether the exact volume and level of contamination is known and whether the contamination is confined to the Hunterston site; what action is being taken to remove the contamination, and what the timescale is for the removal and treatment of the contaminated land.

Ross Finnie: Any radioactively contaminated land on the Hunterston A site is the result of historic incidents, mainly in the 1970s. The contamination has been widely known about since these incidents, and the Executive was aware of the existence of the contamination.

  The figure of 81,000m³ is an estimate - it is not definitive, and I understand that it is based on an assessment of land which could potentially have been contaminated as a result of past activities. The exact volume and level of contamination is not yet known. The timescale for any necessary remediation will depend on the extent and nature of the contaminated land, and will be determined by the site operator’s on-going investigations. I understand that this contamination is confined to the Hunterston A site.

Environment

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding is allocated to monitoring radioactive contaminated land.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding is allocated for the clean-up of radioactive contaminated land.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed in monitoring radioactive contaminated land surrounding nuclear facilities in Scotland.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed in cleaning up radioactive contaminated land surrounding nuclear facilities in Scotland.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the clean-up of contaminated land at Hunterston will cost.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive who will pay for the clean-up of the contaminated land at Hunterston.

Ross Finnie: This answer addresses written questions S2W-11878 to S2W-11883, as all these questions enquire about monitoring and cleaning up radioactively contaminated land.

  The site operator is responsible for monitoring land on the site which has been radioactively contaminated as a result of activities on a nuclear site, and is also responsible for organising and meeting the cost of any necessary clean-up. The monitoring programme for levels of radioactivity outside nuclear sites is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

  Information about the numbers of staff involved in monitoring and cleaning up, and about the costs of these activities, is not held centrally.

  The cost of any clean-up of radioactively contaminated land on the Hunterston A site will depend on the extent and nature of the contamination. The exact volume and level of contamination is not yet known, and will be determined as a result of the site operator’s on-going investigations.

Health

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects autologous chondrocyte implantation to be approved as a standard clinical practice.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what provision there is for articular cartilage regeneration procedures in the NHS.

Mr Andy Kerr: Autologous chondrocyte transplantation and articular cartilage regeneration are different descriptions for the same procedure. Autologous chondrocyte transplantation is in its infancy and is currently being used in clinical trials. There is therefore no indication when, if trials prove to be successful, it would be approved as a standard clinical practice.

Health

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether joint replacement treatments should be available to women under 60.

Mr Andy Kerr: There is no age limit for joint replacement treatments. The treatment is available to all ages and both sexes on NHSScotland.

Health and Safety

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on who was consulted prior to the decision to establish a new Health and Safety Committee for Scotland in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive.

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on what powers the new Health and Safety Committee for Scotland will have and how often it will meet.

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it will have in selecting and appointing the new Health and Safety Committee for Scotland and what information it has on how this will be done.

Allan Wilson: Health and safety policy is reserved and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Scotland has the lead responsibility in creating the proposed new Health and Safety Committee for Scotland. Informal discussions have taken place between HSE officials, their ministers, the Scottish Executive, Scotland Office, the STUC, and other key stakeholders including RoSPA and Local Authority representatives. My predecessor, Lewis Macdonald and Anne Maguire, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland were kept informed during the early process and supported the proposals. The minister for Work at the Department of Work and Pensions has agreed that HSC/E can now engage formally with the Scottish Executive and the Scotland Office in setting up such a forum and that discussions can be held with stakeholders to develop detailed proposals, including how selection and appointments will be made. The HSE are aiming for an inaugural event early next year when the detail of organisational arrangements will be discussed.

Holyrood Project

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation has been carried out to assess its actions in addressing the issues raised in the reports into the Holyrood project by John Spencely and the Auditor General for Scotland in 2001 and whether it will place any relevant documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Spencely Report was commissioned by and for the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and the Executive noted its conclusions. The Auditor General’s report was delivered in 2000 and was the subject of specific recommendations by the Audit Committee’s 6th report of 2000. Each of those recommendations was acted upon and the Executive replied to the report in February 2001, which was subsequently lodged with in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (document ref. SE/2001/63) (Bib. number 12386). In May 2001 the Executive issued its Construction Client Pack of policy and procedural guidance for major construction works projects, a copy of which is available on the Executive’s website.

  The Executive has relatively small numbers of capital projects and there are no instances that we are aware of, of problems similar to those encountered on the Holyrood Project arising elsewhere.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take on the Scottish Law Commission’s A draft Criminal Code for Scotland .

Cathy Jamieson: We welcome the Scottish Law Commission’s initiative in publishing the draft code, prepared by a group of leading academics, in order to stimulate discussion of the topic. We are looking forward to receiving from the commission the comments that have been submitted on the principle of codification. We will then consider what action might be taken to debate the matter further.

MMR Vaccine

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of a US Government investigation which concluded that patients immunised with the MMR vaccine are 20 to 30 times more likely to suffer orchitis, what action it is taking to inform parents of this research to allow them to make informed decisions about vaccinating their children.

Mr Andy Kerr: Orchitis is a possible, but exceptionally rare, event after MMR (one case in 2,650,000 MMR doses in the study to which the question refers). This is in sharp contrast to orchitis after natural mumps infection, which is very common (four out of 10 adult male cases). MMR vaccine can therefore protect against orchitis. Information on these issues will be considered for inclusion in the next edition of the MMR Discussion Pack.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10679 by Mr Andy Kerr on 11 October 2004, how many staffed NHS beds there were in the five years prior to 1998, broken down by NHS (a) board and (b) trust.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on average available staffed beds for Scotland and in each health board area for the years ending 31 March 1993-97 is shown in the table. Prior to 1997-98, the requested information was not collected nationally by NHS trust.

  NHSScotland - Average Available Staffed Beds1; by Health Board: Years Ending 31 March 1993-97

  


1993
1994
1995
1996
1997


Scotland
47 556
45 263
43 587
41 789
39 668


Argyll and Clyde 
3,964
3,749
3,610
3,529
3,479


Ayrshire and Arran 
2,806
2,692
2,575
2,408
2,259


Borders 
867
845
822
807
781


Dumfries and Galloway
1,316
1,287
1,226
1,183
1,105


Fife 
2,666
2,577
2,455
2,322
2,228


Forth Valley 
2,669
2,598
2,504
2,349
2,260


Grampian 
4,959
4,661
4,443
4,304
4,135


Greater Glasgow 
10,205
9,689
9,212
8,760
8,256


Highland 
1,857
1,735
1,688
1,624
1,497


Lanarkshire 
4,464
4,307
4,112
3,994
3,882


Lothian 
6,985
6,558
6,532
6,253
5,717


Orkney 
152
152
150
150
153


Shetland 
143
142
137
136
127


Tayside 
4,257
4,005
3,857
3,720
3,557


Western Isles 
246
266
265
250
232



  Note: 1. Excludes joint-user and contractual hospitals.

  Decisions on bed numbers are best taken by local NHS systems which can take full account of local needs and circumstances, acting with their partners in local authorities and others.

  Bed reductions reflect changing patterns of care, in particular the progressive move towards caring for the elderly and other long-stay patients in the community and other settings outside hospitals.

Osteoporosis

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have osteoporosis, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not available centrally in the form requested. However, it is estimated, from information derived from the Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR) system, that approximately 18,600 people in Scotland were seen by General Practitioners in respect of osteoporosis in Scotland, in the year ending March 2004 (latest figures available).

  CMR data are obtained from a sample of Scottish General Practices whose population is broadly nationally representative. The above information is based on the activity of 63 Scottish General Practices with a combined population of 409,479.

Osteoporosis

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients receive Forsteo (teriparatide) for osteoporosis, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-8260, on 26 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Population

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage the Scottish population was of the UK population in each of the last 20 years.

Tavish Scott: The required information is shown in the following table:

  

Year
Scottish Population as % of UK Population


1984
9.11


1985
9.07


1986
9.02


1987
8.98


1988
8.92


1989
8.90


1990
8.88


1991
8.85


1992
8.83


1993
8.82


1994
8.82


1995
8.80


1996
8.75


1997
8.72


1998
8.68


1999
8.64


2000
8.60


2001
8.57


2002
8.52


2003
8.49

Prisoner Escorts

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11076 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 November 2004, how many prisoners who would have been in category A had it not been abolished have been released in error from the custody of Reliance.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  It is not possible to say which, if any of our current prisoners might have been in the former category A since it does not exist. In SPS's view, however, there are no prisoners who would have been likely to be regarded as Category A who have been released in error either from Reliance or SPS custody.

Prisoner Escorts

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11076 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 November 2004, when the last category A release in error from a prisoner escort was before 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  There is no record of a category A prisoner being released in error from a prisoner escort.

Public Private Partnerships

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the building of new indoor stadia, announced by the Minister for Finance and Public Services on 29 July 2004, will be funded through PPP; if so, whether it will ensure that there is a maximum limit on charges to ensure that the facilities are available for youth and community groups and, if so, how such charges will be regulated and by whom.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: There are no proposals at present for the use of PPP funding. The proposed level of charges will be considered as part of the assessment process to ensure that they are affordable by user groups. There will be conditions and agreements that will regulate charges. These will be reviewed by a user advisory group on a regular basis.

Public Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether staff employed by the regional transport partnerships, as outlined in the Transport (Scotland) Bill, will be hired in addition to those staff already employed by constituent local authorities on transport matters.

Nicol Stephen: The Transport (Scotland) Bill presented to the Parliament on 27 October 2004 included proposals for the establishment of regional transport partnerships. The content of the legislation is now a matter for Parliament. It is the Executive’s view that recruitment of staff should be a matter for the regional transport partnerships themselves, if and when they are established.

Public Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be any constraints on the number of staff that regional transport partnerships may employ.

Nicol Stephen: The Transport (Scotland) Bill presented to the Parliament on 27 October 2004 included proposals for the establishment of regional transport partnerships. The content of the legislation is now a matter for Parliament. It is the Executive’s view that recruitment of staff should be a matter for the regional transport partnerships, if and when they are established. The Transport (Scotland) Bill includes provision for the application to transport partnerships of the duty to secure best value established by Part 1 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003. It is not proposed to place any new constraints on the number of staff that regional transport partnerships may employ.

Rail Network

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action would be required from (a) it, (b) Network Rail, (c) ScotRail and (d) any other bodies to reopen stations on the East Coast main line between Edinburgh and Berwick.

Nicol Stephen: The process for opening or re-opening a station requires detailed assessment and appraisal involving a number of industry and public sector participants. The Strategic Rail Authority has recently developed, with industry partners and other stakeholders, a guidance document titled New Stations: A Guide for Promoters . This was published in September 2004 and a copy is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34353).

Rail Network

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S2W-10241, lodged on 2 September 2004, regarding the business case for the Waverley railway project, in light of comments made by David Quarmby of the Strategic Rail Authority in The Scotsman on 2 November 2004 that the business case looks "rather weak".

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive continues to consider the Waverley Railway’s outline business case and the implications of the current delay in the parliamentary process.

Rail Services

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the minimum scheduled journey time was by rail between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street in (a) 1974, (b) 1988, (c) 1994 and (d) 2004.

Nicol Stephen: This information is not held centrally.

Social Work

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected budgetary allocations are for the six centres of social work excellence for each of the next five years.

Euan Robson: Current funding levels for the six centres of excellence are as follows:

  

 
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07


Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care
£2,009,000
£2,833,000
£2,135,700


STRADA (Joint funded with the Health Department)
£777,000
£777,000
£777,000


Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities
£254,130
£250,964
 


Criminal Justice Development Centre
£400,000
£418,000
£436,810


Scottish Dementia Development Centre
£68,000
£58,000
 


Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work
£610,000
£305,000
 



  The figure for the Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work in 2005-06 is lower as these figures relate entirely to academic years and are linked to Scottish Higher Education Funding Council strategic change grant funding. No decision has been made about funding for the period beyond July 2005.

Speech and Language Therapists

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when, and how, it will monitor and evaluate the outcomes of Agenda for Change for speech and language therapists undertaking the same work in different parts of Scotland and what action it will take where outliers in the information gathered are identified.

Mr Andy Kerr: Agenda for Change is a new UK level pay and conditions system for non medical NHS staff.

  At UK level all aspects of the job evaluation process will be monitored by the Job Evaluation Working Party, reporting to the Shadow Executive of the new NHS Staff Council. This monitoring will be supported by CAJE, the new Computer Aided Job Evaluation system.

  In Scotland informed evidence from this system will be gathered by the Pay Modernisation Team for Agenda for Change and reported to the Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group (SPRIG), a partnership body set up to advise Scottish ministers on the implementation of Agenda for Change.

  The SPRIG will monitor outcomes for all regions of Scotland to ensure that they are consistent and in line with the Agenda for Change agreement.

Sport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish a fund to enable junior, semi-professional, or amateur football clubs to install synthetic pitches, subject to an agreement that the pitches are made available to local communities and that the clubs will work in conjunction with local authorities or other agencies, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: No.  Sportscotland already operates a Building for Sport programme under the Lottery Fund, which is open to football clubs. However, any application would be considered against the criteria for the programme and how the project would contribute to the targets set out in Sport 21 and other policy objectives such as the Action Plan for Youth Football. Decisions on individual applications are a matter for  sportscotland.

Supporting People

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what methodology was used in determining the allocations for Supporting People funding for (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.

Malcolm Chisholm: (1) The allocations in the table were based on a formula composed of indicators that reflect the key client groups which are intended to benefit from the Supporting People programme and for which data of a sufficient quality is available. The methodology is the same for all three years and the formula is composed of four elements.

  (a) The number of elderly people in the local authority area was calculated using the population of 65 years and over as at mid year 2003. This contributed 30% toward the formula allocation.

  (b) The number of people with disabilities was calculated using the number of people receiving Disability Living Allowance as at February 2004. This contributed 20% toward the formula allocation.

  (c) The number of homelessness applications (averaged over a three year period) was calculated from the number of applications under the homelessness person’s legislation by local authority using an average of the 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04. This contributed 30% toward the formula allocation.

  (d) The degree of deprivation was calculated using the population in the worst 15% of data zones by the 2004 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. This contributed 20% toward the formula allocation.

  (2) The formula distributes resources more fairly against relative need across Scotland. To help those authorities in the transition to the new arrangements the minister has set limits to the maximum reduction that any authority will face for each of the three years of this spending round with over £16 million of transitional support for those most affected by the redistribution formula.

  (3) However, discussions with COSLA on the speed of redistribution are continuing. We expect to be able to make a new announcement in due course.

  Supporting People Allocations Announced on 1 October

  

 
2005-06
(£ Million)
2006-07
(£ Million)
2007-08
(£ Million)


Aberdeen City
12.3
11.9
11.9


Aberdeenshire
9.7
9.7
9.9


Angus
6.7
6.7
6.9


Argyll and Bute
12.7
11.4
10.3


Clackmannanshire
3.6
3.7
4.2


Dumfries and Galloway
12.8
11.5
10.6


Dundee City
12.1
12.1
12.3


East Ayrshire
7.2
7.3
8.3


East Dunbartonshire
5.4
5.2
5.2


East Lothian
8.0
7.2
6.4


East Renfrewshire
5.3
4.8
4.3


Edinburgh, City of
38.0
34.2
31.3


Eilean Siar
0.7
0.7
1.1


Falkirk
8.9
9.0
9.5


Fife
25.5
24.5
24.5


Glasgow City
77.3
77.9
82.6


Highland
12.2
11.7
11.7


Inverclyde
8.0
7.7
7.7


Midlothian
5.2
4.6
4.2


Moray
5.9
5.3
4.8


North Ayrshire
12.5
11.9
11.9


North Lanarkshire
25.8
25.9
26.5


Orkney Islands
0.6
0.6
0.8


Perth and Kinross
6.9
6.9
7.5


Renfrewshire
15.6
14.0
12.8


Scottish Borders
6.0
5.8
5.8


Shetland Islands
0.9
0.9
1.0


South Ayrshire
8.2
8.0
8.0


South Lanarkshire
23.2
22.4
22.4


Stirling
4.4
4.5
5.1


West Dunbartonshire
14.9
13.4
12.0


West Lothian
9.8
9.6
9.6


Scotland
406.0
391.0
391.0

Supporting People

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been received regarding the announcement on Supporting People funding by the Minister for Communities on 1 October 2004.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have received representations from COSLA, local authorities, providers, stakeholders and a range of other organisations and individuals.

  I have met with COSLA on several occasions and listened to their concerns about the allocations announced on 1 October. I have offered to slow down the rate of redistribution to provide greater protection for those councils most affected. I hope to make a new announcement shortly.

Supporting People

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been received from Renfrewshire Council regarding its allocation of funding under the Supporting People initiative, following the announcement on Supporting People funding by the Minister for Communities on 1 October 2004.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have received representations on behalf of Renfrewshire Council from Wendy Alexander MSP.

  I have met with COSLA on several occasions and listened to their concerns about the allocations announced on 1 October. I have offered to slow down the rate of redistribution to provide greater protection for those councils most affected. I hope to make a new announcement shortly.

Tourism

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what grant funding exists for tourism development.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: Resources totalling £90 million per year are currently made available for investment in tourism development through VisitScotland, Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, and other organisations. VisitScotland works closely with the industry to support the development of tourism and, where appropriate, provides financial and in kind support for tourism marketing initiatives and events that bring benefits to Scotland’s tourism industry and economy. The enterprise networks also provide assistance to individual tourism businesses to grow their operations.

Tourism

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements there are to allow local events to be listed on visitscotland.com.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: Local events are an important way of attracting visitors to different parts of the country. Visitscotland.com has recently improved the management and display of events information by using a Major Events Calendar which is featured prominently on the home page of its website. This facility allows users to search for events chronologically by month, and provides a short description of each event together with location and timing. A fuller report will also be available for most events. There is also a regional listing of major events accessible from the Calendar, where the events are organised to display a complete year's events in each area of Scotland. These regional listings can also be accessed via the appropriate "Explore by Map" section of the website.

Tourism

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what economic contribution is derived from tourism in each area of Scotland.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: The estimated average gross annual revenue derived from tourism over the last three years in each of the area tourist board areas of Scotland is shown in the following table:

  

Area Tourist Board
Total Visitor Spend
(£ Million)


Aberdeen and Grampian
369


Angus and Dundee
106


Argyll, the Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling and the Trossachs
443


Ayrshire and Arran
202


Dumfries and Galloway
165


Edinburgh and Lothians
1,041


Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley
782


Highlands of Scotland
576


Kingdom of Fife
161


Perthshire
194


Scottish Borders
78



  Note: Due to small sample-sizes, there are no area figures for Orkney, Shetland or Western Isles Tourist Boards.

Tourism

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to support an increase in Scottish tourism by 50% within 10 years.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive shares with the tourism sector and with VisitScotland the ambition to grow tourism revenues by 50% in the next decade. This will primarily be delivered by the wide range of businesses in the sector, with support from the various public sector organisations involved in tourism working in an integrated way. As far as the Executive’s part in this is concerned, we have more than doubled VisitScotland’s budget since 2000, and earlier this year increased its marketing budget by 28%, with a challenge to companies in the private sector to match fund £12 million of that increase. We recently announced a doubling in our Route Development Fund, which encourages new direct air routes into Scotland from overseas. Earlier investment in the fund is already paying dividends, with an increase in the first half of this year of 12% in visitors from overseas.

  The Executive has also invested additional funding in broadening and strengthening VisitScotland’s already well regarded quality assurance schemes. And to help tourism businesses of all kinds to grow and prosper, we are now developing an integrated tourism network by merging VisitScotland with the 14 area tourist boards to create one team for Scottish tourism. Our objective is to grow tourism’s contribution to the economy by making Scotland a must-visit, must return destination.

Young People

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S2W-10364 by Mr Tom McCabe on 30 September 2004, what national awareness campaigns it will introduce to support the voluntary proof-of-age scheme, as referred to in the Partnership Agreement.

Rhona Brankin: Through the Dialogue Youth Project young people are being made aware of the potential value of the local authority/Young Scot card in providing voluntary proof of age as the card scheme is currently being rolled out across Scotland. In addition, there will be a publicity drive surrounding the launch of national guidance currently being developed by the Scottish Retail Consortium which will emphasise to retailers the need to adopt a "no proof, no sale" approach to the sale of age restricted products.